Tom May

Tom May

Freelance journalist and editor

Tom May is an award-winning journalist specialising in art, design, photography and technology. His latest book, The 50 Greatest Designers (Arcturus Publishing), was published this June. He's also author of Great TED Talks: Creativity (Pavilion Books). Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. 

Latest articles by Tom May

XPen Artist 12 (3rd gen) review: tablet on a wooden table

Shall we all move to Ireland? Their plan to support artists sounds incredible

By Tom May published

Ireland is giving €325 a week to artists. Honestly!

Art
A large outdoor billboard advertisement with a purple background showing four miniature Cadbury's chocolate bars named after the band members of Queen: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, with the slogan "Cadbury All HEROES No Zeros."

Is this really the most 'creatively effective' print ad ever?

By Tom May published

Can we measure a campaign's effectiveness just by feels?

Advertising
Asus Vivobook S 15

Can't afford a MacBook Pro? These are your best alternatives

By Tom May published

Avoid the Apple tax with these premium alternative laptops.

Laptops
Drew Struzan posters for the films The Goonies, Back to the Future and Indiana Jones

Drew Struzan’s posters made me love movies – here's what creatives can learn from him today

By Tom May published

The late artist's posters were based on emotion, not function.

Poster Design
A desktop with a colourful portfolio on screen

How to create an online portfolio: Steps to curating your own corner of the web

By Beth Nicholls last updated

Want to show off your work online? We digest the methods involved with creating an online portfolio.

Portfolios
How to beat burnout

How artists can beat burnout

By Tom May last updated

Leading creatives share their tips for when stress becomes overwhelming.

Creative Careers
A close-up, shallow depth-of-field shot of the tip of a light gray mechanical pencil, a Winsor & Newton fineliner, with black accents, resting on a textured orange and black patterned surface.

Designers reveal the one object they can't live without

By Tom May published

Cherished tools, quirky treasures and everyday essentials.

Product Design
A promotional image for a Taylor Swift event, showing the singer dressed as a showgirl in a red, feathered outfit and an elaborate headdress, with text about "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl."

The latest Taylor Swift movie is the future of cinema (and no, I'm not joking)

By Tom May published

Forget superheroes: this is what saves the big screen.

Movies & TV Shows
Three of the best laptops for Cricut makers on a purple background

The best laptops for Cricut makers: get the most out of Cricut Design Space

By Ian Dean last updated

As keen crafters, we've picked out the best laptops for Cricut makers – all tested to handle the brand's software.

Laptops
three of the best screen protectors for iPad on a green background

These are the best iPad screen protectors available

By Beren Neale last updated

Ideal for artists, these are the best iPad screen protectors.

Phones & Tablets
The three best Frame TVs.

The best frame TVs: fantastic TVs that show off your favourite art

By Beren Neale last updated

Get a TV and a digital frame in one, with the best frame TVs.

TVs
A diptych of album covers for "THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL," features an elaborately dressed Taylor Swift in rhinestone-studded showgirl costumes, depicted in a rich, textured setting on the left and submerged in vibrant, turquoise water on the right. The images are a conceptual presentation for an album, with accompanying vinyl pressings shown below the main photos.

Taylor Swift’s Easter Eggs are a masterclass in creative mischief – and they're heating up

By Tom May last updated

Here's what every creative can learn from this.

Branding
Three of the best iPad alternatives on a purple background

The best iPad alternatives – escape the Apple ecosystem

By Ian Dean last updated

Our reviewers pick the best iPad alternatives from Samsung, Microsoft, Honor and more.

Phones & Tablets
A young woman with long, dark, wavy hair is smiling broadly and looking directly at the camera while standing on a red carpet.

Tilly Norwood is an AI actress, and we're all now living in a Black Mirror hellscape

By Tom May published

Unless creatives start to fight back, we're all getting replaced.

AI
Woman with phone

The older I get, the more I realise designing for seniors is better for young people too

By Tom May published

Accessible design isn't charity; it's just good design that benefits absolutely everyone.

Web Design
A still from the movie The Social Network showing Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg sitting side-by-side on a brown sofa.

Here's what '90s Napster can teach creatives about AI today

By Tom May published

The music industry's battle with file-sharing offers a brutal but ultimately hopeful roadmap for creatives facing AI disruption.

AI Art
A black ASUS ProArt P16 laptop on a green sofa

There are only 6 laptops that I'd recommend to creatives right now

By Tom May published

You can't go wrong with these excellent laptops.

Laptops
A hand plays a small, red-and-white keyboard that is connected to a larger, salmon-colored box with 25 chattering teeth toys mounted in a grid.

10 everyday objects that look nothing like you'd expect

By Tom May published

Here's what happens when designers throw out the rulebook.

Product Design
Affinity Designer

The best Adobe Illustrator alternatives, for all budgets and skill levels

By Tom May last updated

From Affinity to CorelDRAW, try these top vector-editing tools.

Graphic Design Software
A photograph captures a person in a judge's robe walking while on a phone call, passing by a Banksy mural on a building wall that depicts an old, robed man wielding a hammer over a child holding a book.

Banksy and the judge: why great art happens when things go wrong

By Tom May published

Sometimes the most powerful art emerges by accident.

Art
Three of the best laptops for watching movies on an orange background

The best laptops for watching movies

By Tom May, Beren Neale last updated

Discover the best laptops for watching movies and streaming.

Laptops
A real-life artist at Dragon Con

The art world finally drew a line in the sand over AI – and not before time

By Tom May published

Dragon Con's ejection of an AI art seller is fantastic news,

AI Art
Couple holding each others hand in a medical office and looking worried

Big tech will pull the plug on free AI. Can creatives afford to pay?

By Tom May published

Tech giants are hooking us on free, but it won't last forever.

AI
A group of people, including Gordon Ramsay and a Guinness World Records official, are smiling and laughing as a chef holds up a framed certificate.

Wow, there's a Guinness World Record for identifying fonts. Could you beat it?

By Tom May published

The Guinness World Records hits 70, and I think there's an opportunity for designers.

Fonts & Typography
Lego minifigures of Taylor Swift and Travis Scott

Taylor Swift got engaged – and brands went wild. Here’s the funny, the clever, and the cringe

By Tom May published

Which ones nailed it, and why?

Branding
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